Practical makes perfect: why the best gifts are the useful ones

Paid for by

We’ve either got gadgets coming out of our ears or we’re jammed into city flatshares too cramped for tat. Is it any wonder many gift recipients simply want something whose function will enhance their lives?

Millennials often want items that add real value to their lives, such as high-end smart phones.
Photograph: Stocksy

Christmas present buyers generally fall into two camps. There are those who believe a present should be thoughtful and sentimental and whimsical, a touch of decadent luxury you would never buy for yourself – think champagne truffles, sparkly gloves or fancy underwear. Then there are the practical gift-givers, the functional Father Christmases, who want to buy a present they know will actually be useful – even if that means wrapping up a microwave oven. But is it possible to find that sweet spot between the two?

“With a rising awareness of sustainability, and a general sense of “peak stuff”, we’re seeing people increasingly lean towards either experiences, as opposed to a physical gift, or presents that are more meaningful and useful,” says Lucie Greene, trend forecaster at JWT Innovation. “The era of frivolous novelty junk is almost over. It’s a tax on the planet, and adds nothing to our lives, especially when many live in cities, where space is at a premium.”

Stocking fillers benefit from a bit of sentimentality. Photograph: Stocksy

So those £1 flashing reindeer socks are out, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a dose of sentimentality in our stocking fillers. “I think the movement in gifting is towards more considered and thoughtful presents,” says Greene. “This ties in with the growing influence of Nordic philosophy, which is to focus on quality over quantity.” Whether it’s food, furniture, electrical items or clothing, buying gifts that are seasonless, of high quality and well-designed is always appreciated. “We might be buying less and spending less, but we’re putting more thought in.”

Interestingly, being too thoughtful might actually be making us worse present-givers. According to a 2014 study from the Journal of Consumer Research, we imagine our loved ones will want a gift that is impressive, expensive, and sentimental. And yet gift receivers actually report being happier when they get exactly what they asked for. For coffee aficionados, that might mean getting a top-notch, luxury coffee maker, although your average Joe might be happier with a simpler machine.

“Have nothing in your houses that you do notknow to be useful or believe to be beautiful” was designer and poet William Morris’s golden rule, and it’s a pretty good rule of thumb for presents too. But, of course, the definition of useful is pretty subjective; one person’s deeply practical, everyday item is another’s frivolous folly.

Paul Whyte, a product director at AO, suggests a wine-loving friend would be pleasantly surprised to receive a wine fridge, for example, or that an avid baker would love to get their hands on a knockout kitchen mixer.

“Try to think about a person’s interests and what they like to do on a daily basis, and then elevate it so that you make it a bit special,” says Polly Hadden-Paton, a professional gift-buyer tasked with buying last-minute gifts for many famous or busy clients.

Christmas countdown: top tips for gift-buying

Read more

As with many trends that have become mainstream, millennials were early adopters of what’s been called “stealth luxury”. David Burstein, author of Fast Future: How the Millennial Generation Is Shaping Our World, explains: “The younger generation came of age at a time when spending lots of money on flash things had a negative connotation, thanks to the 2008 financial crisis. While a few decades ago Yuppies splashed their cash on expensive gadgets for their significant others, such as watches and jewellery, now Muppies (that’s millennial yuppies, FYI) are more likely to want to receive high-value items that serve a purpose and add real value to their lives, such as iPhones or Nutribullets.”